Internal Medicine Expertise

It’s a very difficult situation when you’re a parent to a pet that is in pain and you can’t “see” what’s wrong.

It’s also difficult when you’re an experienced vet and you’re unable to make a correct diagnosis because you just can’t find the cause of the problem inside the animal’s body.

That’s when you need VSOS’s internal medicine specialists. Our specialist vets have the training and expertise to make a fast, accurate diagnosis and get your pet or patient back on the right track to better health.

Our internal medicine specialists have thousands of hours of experience in veterinary medicine, and we have treated all types of illnesses and diseases. And because we work in partnership with vets, we create the best possible treatment plan for each animal to give them a better result.

Whether your vet refers your pet to us for specialist treatment, or you call us directly to discuss your pet’s specialist needs, you can rest assured that your precious animal is in the most capable hands at VSOS.

Leading medicine specialists

Having a sick pet can be an incredibly frightening situation. First, there's the uncertainty of understanding what's wrong, followed by the challenge of finding the right veterinary specialists to oversee their treatment and recovery.

At VSOS, we're here to make that journey easier. As passionate pet parents ourselves, we truly understand the emotional toll you're experiencing, and we have the advanced expertise to help.

Our internal medicine team is led by Dr. Karina Graham. As well as completing world-class training as an internal medicine specialist, she is internationally trained in cardiology and neurology.

What’s more, she is the field leader in some interventional radiology and laser-assisted techniques in Sydney, including correction of ectopic ureters in incontinent dogs, as well as laser-assisted turbinectomies (LATE) to complement traditional airway surgery in brachycephalic (flat-faced) breeds.

No matter your pet’s unique medical needs, you can trust the VSOS team to provide expert care and dedicated support, every step of the way.

Diagnostic imaging

Diagnostic imaging is a wonderful tool in internal veterinary medicine because it gives us precise, clear images of what is happening to the body organs of small animals. It’s the only way to get a fast, accurate diagnosis when there is something bigger going on with an animal.

Our specialists use diagnostic imaging to investigate a range of problems, including: using ultrasound to check organs within the chest and abdomen; checking the liver for lumps or masses if we have elevations in liver blood tests; and when checking for intestinal problems if a kitten eats something unusual like a piece of string, for example.

In the case of a pet having a heart murmur, or an abnormal heart sound, we use an ultrasound called echocardiography for an accurate diagnosis, which is so crucial. The results are immediate after an ultrasound, which means we can start a treatment plan right away. And if your pet is young, having this early diagnosis can be lifesaving.

It’s rare for us to sedate an animal to have an echocardiogram, as we prefer to see a normal functioning heart, not one that’s affected by anaesthesia.

Interventional radiology

If it’s possible to avoid open surgery that has a long and painful recovery in favour of a less invasive procedure, of course you’d choose it for your pet. And you can with interventional radiology.

This type of radiology makes small, keyhole procedures possible in veterinary medicine, and saves your pet from the pain of traditional, invasive surgery.

With interventional radiology, pets have shorter anaesthesia times, less pain because the wound is so much smaller, and they recover much faster.

And our team of specialists are experts in using interventional radiology, so you can rest in the knowledge that your beloved pet is in the right hands.

Endoscopic medicine

You have no doubt heard of endoscopy for people. We also use it in veterinary medicine to see what is happening within internal areas of small animals.

Endoscopy uses specialist endoscopes, or cameras, to make these investigations. If we need to see inside the stomach, for example, we pass a long, flexible endoscope through the mouth. And if we need to inspect the colon, we pass the endoscope through the bottom.

We can also see within the bladder from the inside. This is called cystoscopy, and we use tiny endoscopes through the urinary tract.

We can even investigate the bronchial structures, or the breathing system, through a bronchoscope. What’s more, we can collect biopsies of these areas with specialised forceps made to go in the endoscopes.